ESO Capital choose the safe option with TDM Group
Company profile
Since 2006, private equity fund ESO Capital has been providing custom capital solutions to European small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) offering flexible financing solutions across the capital structure, combining a unique debt and equity skillset for both corporate and real estate opportunities.
Improving productivity and security with cloud computing
From the firm’s London office, Founding Partner Walid Fakhry explains how ESO Capital has come to rely on TDM Group for IT support over the past two years.
Walid says, “One of our primary objectives for involving TDM Group was to give our team, who are constantly on the road, secure access to essential business data, systems and applications. I was introduced to TDM Group through a personal contact. When I met with them it soon became clear that they both understood our needs as a business and knew what they were talking about on the technical side. I had every confidence in their ability to support us.” Walid himself is no stranger to the world of technology. A graduate of MIT, he founded and sold one of the largest internet service providers in the Middle East.
He continues, “TDM Group has helped us to move to a cloud-based model of IT. Our team all need secure access to familiar Microsoft Office tools to collaborate and share information on the move. Replacing desktop applications with Microsoft 365 gives us all the advantages of having easy access to up-to-date software, wherever they happen to be working.”
It’s worth noting that the solution also improves business continuity. Should the office be inaccessible for any reason, such as adverse weather or transport problems, the team can continue working without interruption from wherever there is an internet connection, using the firm’s cloud-based software.
How TDM Group supports
A consultative approach
TDM Group took time to understand business requirements and objectives
Improved productivity using cloud-based software
Familiar Office tools are accessible to the ESO Capital team on the road, at home or from any other remote location
Enhanced security and business continuity
A rigorous replication and backup regime, along with multifactor authentication, has strengthened business resilience
Making compliance explicit
TDM Group has equipped ESO Capital with a security policy that meets FCA requirements
Proactive support
TDM Group adds value to ESO Capital with insight into the changing technology marketplace and in-depth security expertise
“We take data security very seriously indeed and do everything possible, with TDM Group’s help, to protect business and client data from the phishing and virus attacks that are a fact of life nowadays.”
Rhonda Nicoll, Partner & CFO, ESO Capital
Peace of mind
As an entity regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, ESO Capital faces stringent compliance requirements on data security.
Partner & CFO Rhonda Nicoll comments, “Audits around cyber security have tightened significantly in recent years. We need to be completely confident that we are as safe as we possibly can be, so I turned to TDM Group for reassurance. They explained the measures in place and the steps continually taken to improve security, such as the daily backups.”
Through the solution implemented by TDM Group, data is continually replicated to a secure data centre and then fully backed up daily to the cloud. This means that, should there ever be a disruption, TDM Group can get the firm and its systems up and running again extremely quickly. Layers of firewalls and multifactor authentication (MFA) for access to the firm’s business systems further improve security.
Rhonda adds, “We take data security very seriously indeed and do everything possible, with TDM Group’s help, to protect business and client data from the phishing and virus attacks that are a fact of life nowadays. Thanks to TDM Group, these measures are now explicit in our cyber security policy. It’s good to meet face to face with them from time to time to discuss these important issues. It gives us peace of mind and I feel much more comfortable about answering any questions from the auditors.”
Strategic advice and guidance
Walid’s initial confidence in TDM Group has proved well founded. Two years on he says, “I see it as a long-term partnership. In an evolving market, TDM Group add value to our business, having become not so much a technology partner as a business partner. I always find them very responsive when we contact them and proactive about moving us forward and translating the technology into real business value.”
